What a coin flip can mean to a team

Had it come up 'tails,' Pacers history could be different

1:36 AM,
May 17, 2007

First and second: Ralph Sampson (left) went to the Houston Rockets with the first pick in the 1983 NBA draft. The Pacers, having lost a coin flip to obtain the No. 1 pick, took Steve Stipanovich at No. 2.

Written by

Mark Montieth
mark.montieth@indystar.com

As what-if moments go, it's a monster -- no less than one of the most influential days in the 40-year history of the Indiana Pacers.

A simple flip of a 100-year-old silver dollar on May 19, 1983, turned out to have a major impact on the franchise's future. Not so much because of the outcome, but because of a declined trade offer a few days before the draft.

Imagine a Pacers roster with Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler and Michael Jordan. It could have happened, if not for a couple of twists of fate. ...